Patents and Innovation

IBM has a history of innovation that extends beyond its 100 years, back to Herman Hollerith’s Tabulating Machine Company and the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR) from which IBM was formed. From magnetic tape drives and random access memory, to the floppy disk and the scanning tunneling microscope, IBM has continued to inspire a culture of innovation. The company’s strong focus on inventions has made IBM the patent leader for the past 18 years in a row.

Magnetic tape drives

In 1952, IBM announced the IBM® 726 Tape Unit with the IBM 701 Defense Calculator, marking the transition from punched card calculators to electronic computers. Since then, IBM has initiated many significant innovations in linear tape storage and has been an industry leader in setting standards for tape interchange.

Dynamic random access memory

In 1966, Dr. Robert Dennard at the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center invented dynamic random access memory (DRAM). Today, DRAM is still the most common kind of random access memory (RAM) for personal computers and workstations.

Floppy disk

In 1971, a group of IBM engineers led by Alan Shugart invented the first floppy disk, an 8-inch plastic disk coated with magnetic iron oxide. Later, 5¼ inch and 3½ inch forms were developed. The floppy disk was used to store and exchange data for nearly three decades, from 1971 to the late 1990s.

Scanning tunneling microscope

The scanning tunneling microscope was invented in 1981 by Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer at IBM Zürich. This powerful microscope allows scientists to image surfaces at the atomic level and manipulate individual atoms.